Guyanese Girl

Shakira Baksh

11 Oct: Meet Guyanese Goddess: Shakira Baksh Caine – Miss Guyana 1967

How many of you remember Shakira Baksh who represented Guyana in Miss World 1967 and ended as second runner-up?  Some folks called her the “Guyanese Goddess”! Shakira Baksh was born on February 23, 1947, in Guyana to a Muslim family. The daughter of a dressmaker, she aimed to follow in the footsteps of her mother and become a fashion designer. It was while working as a secretary, Shakira Caine was urged by her boss to…

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10 Oct: Champions!!! The Guyana Women’s Basketball Team

These beautiful young women are deserving of our congratulations because they definitely Rock! The GUYANA Women’s Basketball Team played undefeated to claim the title of the 12th annual Gillian Brazier Basketball Shootout earlier this year in Antigua and Barbuda. The team claimed a 74-34 victory to wrap up the tournament with a 5-0 record with wins versus St. Kitts and Nevis and Antigua. The United States-based, Shauntelle Nelson, was named MVP and was also added to the All-Star team,…

leonalewis

09 Oct: She Rocks Her Guyanese Heritage: Leona Lewis – Multi-Platinum Music Artist

Leona Lewis was born on April 3, 1985 in the London Borough of Islington , to Aural Josiah “Joe” Lewis, a youth worker from Guyana and Maria Lewis, a British social worker of Welsh, Italian and Irish descent. A multi-platinum selling artist and three-time Grammy Award nominee, Lewis’s most successful single, “Bleeding Love”, reached number one in over 30 countries around the world, and was the best-selling single worldwide in 2008. She was proclaimed ‘Top…

Latoya

08 Oct: Latoya M. Jones: Entrepreneur – Owner of Oceanscapes Spa

If you’re ever visiting the beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands, make sure you check out the Oceanscapes Spa. Owner Latoya Jones is a proud Guyanese who now resides on the Islands with her husband and two daughters.  Prior to leaving Guyana in 1998, Latoya attended St. Joseph High School, St. Stanilaus College, then went on to study at the University of Guyana. In November 2011, Latoya opened  Oceanscapes Spa at 2 locations on the Turks And Caicos Islands.  The first…

lauraCreavalle

08 Oct: Meet Laura Creavalle – Guyana’s most Decorated and Successful Bodybuilder

The most accomplished, decorated and successful bodybuilder (easily) from the land of many waters happens to be a woman by the name of Laura Creavalle who performed in Guyana in the 1990s and was inducted into the IFBB Hall of fame in 2007. Laura was born on January 25, 1959 in Essequibo, Guyana.  She was one of the most successful female bodybuilders of the 1990s. Laura earned her pro card by winning the heavyweight class at the 1988 IFBB World Amateur…

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06 Oct: Princess Guyana – Making a name in the Hip Hop game!

Princess Guyana is originally from New York but while growing up she started testing the waters as every kid does and her Guyanese parents sent her to the “Country” Guyana so that she could get straight and fly right! In a recent interview Princess Guyana said “I was born in New York and I was there up until I was ten. When you’re an Island child and you’re bad, your parents send you back to the country…

Charmaine-Hooper

06 Oct: Kicking it with Charmaine Hooper! Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame 2012 Inductee

Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame 2012 Inductee, Charmaine Hooper, was born on January 15, 1968, in Georgetown, Guyana. She was raised in Ottawa, Canada, and is a former striker for the Canadian Women’s National Soccer Team. She began playing soccer as a child in Zambia, where her father was posted with the Guyana High Commission. Known as one of the world’s most lethal strikers throughout her career, Charmaine has been a fixture on the Canadian…

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05 Oct: SHE ROCKS! Cynthia Nelson – Food Enthusiast, Journalist, Blogger & Author

Cynthia Nelson was born and raised in Guyana but currently resides in Barbados. She’s a trained media practitioner and teach Broadcast Journalist. Through her work as a journalist, Cynthia has traveled the length and breadth of the Caribbean tasting, cooking and experiencing West Indian food, first hand. Having learned to cook at an early age, Cynthia is at ease in the kitchen creating dishes that reflect the diversity of the region – Indian, African, Portuguese, Spanish,…

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05 Oct: Baroness Valerie Amos: First Black Woman in a British Cabinet/ First Black Leader of the House of Lords

Today we’re heading to London to meet the Baroness! Baroness Valerie Ann Amos was born on March 13, 1954 in Georgetown, Guyana but moved to London at age nine. She became the first black woman in a British Cabinet in 2003 when she was appointed Secretary of State for International Development and was also the first black Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council. She is formally known as The…